COCOA BEACH, FL - OCTOBER 07: A Space Shuttle model stands near some downed trees after Hurricane Matthew passed by the area, October 7, 2016 on Cocoa Beach, Florida. Hurricane Matthew passed by offshore as a

Rob Birch salvages a speaker from the trunk of his car which floated out of his drive way as Hurricane Matthew passes through the area on October 7, 2016 in St Augustine, Florida. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina all declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Matthew. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Rob Birch salvages a speaker from the trunk of his car which floated out of his drive way as Hurricane Matthew passes through the area on October 7, 2016 in St Augustine, Florida. Florida, Georgia, South

A police officer walks past a closed store in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, on October 8, 2016, after Hurricane Matthew passed the area. A weakened Hurricane Matthew churned just off the coast of the US states of Georgia and South Carolina Saturday, threatening deadly floods after leaving more than a million people without power in Florida and claiming five lives. The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south. / AFP / Jewel SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

A police officer walks past a closed store in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, on October 8, 2016, after Hurricane Matthew passed the area. A weakened Hurricane Matthew churned just off the coast of the US states

A car drive past a broken Burger King sign on a street in Jacksonville, Florida, on October 7, 2016, as hurricane Matthew passes the area. Hurricane Matthew lashed NASA's rocket launch facility at Cape

A downed tree from Hurricane Matthew rests against a home, October 8, 2016 in Savannah, Georgia. Across the Southeast, Over 1.4 million people have lost power due to Hurricane Matthew which has been downgraded to a category 1 hurricane on Saturday morning. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

A downed tree from Hurricane Matthew rests against a home, October 8, 2016 in Savannah, Georgia. Across the Southeast, Over 1.4 million people have lost power due to Hurricane Matthew which has been downgraded

Local residents walk past a collapsed gas station in Daytona Beach, Florida, on October 8, 2016, after Hurricane Matthew passed the area. Hurricane Matthew weakened to a Category 1 storm Saturday as it neared the end of a four-day rampage that left a trail of death and destruction across the Caribbean and up the US Atlantic coast. The full scale of the devastation in hurricane-hit rural Haiti became clear as the death toll surged past 400, three days after Hurricane Matthew leveled huge swaths of the country's south.

Local residents walk past a collapsed gas station in Daytona Beach, Florida, on October 8, 2016, after Hurricane Matthew passed the area. Hurricane Matthew weakened to a Category 1 storm Saturday as it neared

An abandoned car damaged by a fallen tree sits along Interstate 16, October 8, 2016 in Savannah, Georgia. Across the Southeast, Over 1.4 million people have lost power due to Hurricane Matthew which has been downgraded to a category 1 hurricane on Saturday morning. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

An abandoned car damaged by a fallen tree sits along Interstate 16, October 8, 2016 in Savannah, Georgia. Across the Southeast, Over 1.4 million people have lost power due to Hurricane Matthew which has been

Workers inspect the damage to a building from the high winds of Hurricane Matthew on October 8, 2016 in Daytona, Florida. Across the Southeast, over 1.4 million people have lost power due to Hurricane Matthew which was downgraded to a category 1 hurricane on Saturday morning. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Workers inspect the damage to a building from the high winds of Hurricane Matthew on October 8, 2016 in Daytona, Florida. Across the Southeast, over 1.4 million people have lost power due to Hurricane Matthew

A tree fell onto a house in Hinesville, GA outside Savannah during Hurricane Matthew.

A tree fell onto a house in Hinesville, GA outside Savannah during Hurricane Matthew.

Photo: Photo By Monica Stupke

Image 12 of 74

A man puts up caution tape as people walk by and take photos of the Casablanco Inn the day after Hurricane Matthew hit St. Augustine, FL on Saturday October 08, 2016. Hurricane Matthew plowed north along the Atlantic coast, flooding towns and destroying roads in its path. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

A man puts up caution tape as people walk by and take photos of the Casablanco Inn the day after Hurricane Matthew hit St. Augustine, FL on Saturday October 08, 2016. Hurricane Matthew plowed north along the

Water floods the streets on and around Broad Street in the wake of Hurricane Matthew on October 8, 2016 in Charleston, South Carolina. Across the Southeast, Over 1.4 million people have lost power due to Hurricane Matthew which has been downgraded to a category 1 hurricane on Saturday morning. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

Water floods the streets on and around Broad Street in the wake of Hurricane Matthew on October 8, 2016 in Charleston, South Carolina. Across the Southeast, Over 1.4 million people have lost power due to

Trees sway from heavy rain and wind from Hurricane Matthew in front of Exploration Tower early Friday, Oct. 7, 2016 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Matthew weakened slightly to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds near 120 mph, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center says it's expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it moves closer to the coast. less

Trees sway from heavy rain and wind from Hurricane Matthew in front of Exploration Tower early Friday, Oct. 7, 2016 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Matthew weakened slightly to a Category 3 storm with maximum ... more

Waves from Hurricane Matthew crash against a bridge Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, in St. Augustine, Fla. Matthew was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane overnight, and its storm center hung just offshore as it moved up the Florida coastline, sparing communities its full 120 mph winds. less

Waves from Hurricane Matthew crash against a bridge Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, in St. Augustine, Fla. Matthew was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane overnight, and its storm center hung just offshore as it moved ... more

Photo: John Bazemore, Associated Press

Image 18 of 74

Water floods the streets in the area around the Charleston City Market in the wake of Hurricane Matthew on October 8, 2016 in Charleston, South Carolina. Across the Southeast, Over 1.4 million people have lost power due to Hurricane Matthew which has been downgraded to a category 1 hurricane on Saturday morning. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

Water floods the streets in the area around the Charleston City Market in the wake of Hurricane Matthew on October 8, 2016 in Charleston, South Carolina. Across the Southeast, Over 1.4 million people have lost

Waves from Hurricane Matthew batter a boat dock Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, in St. Augustine , Fla. Matthew was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane overnight, and its storm center hung just offshore as it moved up the Florida coastline, sparing communities its full 120 mph winds. less

Waves from Hurricane Matthew batter a boat dock Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, in St. Augustine , Fla. Matthew was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane overnight, and its storm center hung just offshore as it moved up ... more

Austin Massett runs through a area beginning to flood as Hurricane Matthew moves closer to St. Augustine, Fla., Friday, Oct. 7, 2016. Matthew was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane overnight, and its storm center hung just offshore as it moved up the Florida coastline, sparing communities its full 120 mph winds. less

Austin Massett runs through a area beginning to flood as Hurricane Matthew moves closer to St. Augustine, Fla., Friday, Oct. 7, 2016. Matthew was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane overnight, and its storm ... more

Photo: John Bazemore, Associated Press

Image 23 of 74

This Oct. 6, 2016, photo provided by the St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park shows a marabou stork in a restroom at the facility in St. Augustine, Fla. The zoo said it moved all of its birds and mammals inside ahead of Hurricane Matthew's arrival. less

This Oct. 6, 2016, photo provided by the St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park shows a marabou stork in a restroom at the facility in St. Augustine, Fla. The zoo said it moved all of its birds and ... more

Photo: Gen Anderson, Associated Press

Image 24 of 74

A billboard canvas flaps in the wind after Hurricane Matthew passed off shore, Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, in North Palm Beach, Fla. Matthew was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane overnight with the strongest winds of 120 mph just offshore as the storm pushed north, threatening hundreds of miles of coastline in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. less

A billboard canvas flaps in the wind after Hurricane Matthew passed off shore, Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, in North Palm Beach, Fla. Matthew was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane overnight with the strongest ... more

Photo: Wilfredo Lee, Associated Press

Image 25 of 74

Image 26 of 74

Sherry McMahon, left, and Joan Maddy, right, assess damage from Hurricane Matthew as they walk along a flooded street in a residential neighborhood along the Indian River, Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, in Vero Beach, Fla. Matthew was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane overnight with the strongest winds of 120 mph just offshore as the storm pushed north, threatening hundreds of miles of coastline in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. ( less

Sherry McMahon, left, and Joan Maddy, right, assess damage from Hurricane Matthew as they walk along a flooded street in a residential neighborhood along the Indian River, Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, in Vero Beach, ... more

Photo: Lynne Sladky, Associated Press

Image 27 of 74

Lailoni Kent, 8, of Lake Worth, screams when the pull of the wave was stronger than she thought while playing on the beach and getting photos with her family on Lantana Beach while Hurricane Matthew created big waves, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016, in Lantana, Fla. less

Lailoni Kent, 8, of Lake Worth, screams when the pull of the wave was stronger than she thought while playing on the beach and getting photos with her family on Lantana Beach while Hurricane Matthew created big ... more

Photo: Greg Lovett, Associated Press

Image 28 of 74

An American flag is ripped to shreds from heavy rain and wind from Hurricane Matthew early Friday, Oct. 7, 2016 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Matthew weakened slightly to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds near 120 mph, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center says it's expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it moves closer to the coast. less

An American flag is ripped to shreds from heavy rain and wind from Hurricane Matthew early Friday, Oct. 7, 2016 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Matthew weakened slightly to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained ... more

Photo: Craig Rubadoux, Associated Press

Image 29 of 74

A damaged grocery store is seen in Nassau, New Providence island in the Bahamas, on October 6, 2016, after the passing of Hurricane Matthew. Shelters along the eastern coast of Florida were jammed amid a frantic race to protect people and pets from the "potentially catastrophic" effects of Hurricane Matthew as the deadly storm barrels in from the Caribbean.

A damaged grocery store is seen in Nassau, New Providence island in the Bahamas, on October 6, 2016, after the passing of Hurricane Matthew. Shelters along the eastern coast of Florida were jammed amid a

A bird shelters on pilings hiding from the winds of Hurricane Matthew, October 7, 2016 on Cocoa Beach, Florida. Hurricane Matthew passed by offshore as a catagory 3 hurricane bringing heavy winds and minor

A downed tree from high winds rests against the side of a home in residential community after Hurricane Matthew passes through on October 7, 2016 in Ormond Beach, Florida. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina have all declared a state of emergency in preparation for Hurricane Matthew.

A downed tree from high winds rests against the side of a home in residential community after Hurricane Matthew passes through on October 7, 2016 in Ormond Beach, Florida. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and

A Fort Pierce Utilities worker works on an electrical line to restore power after Hurricane Matthew passed through the area on October 7, 2016 in Fort Pierce, Florida. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina have all declared a state of emergency in preparation for Hurricane Matthew. The hurricane passed the area causing apparently little damage.

A Fort Pierce Utilities worker works on an electrical line to restore power after Hurricane Matthew passed through the area on October 7, 2016 in Fort Pierce, Florida. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and

A damaged grocery store is seen in Nassau, New Providence island in the Bahamas, on October 6, 2016, after the passing of Hurricane Matthew. Shelters along the eastern coast of Florida were jammed amid a frantic race to protect people and pets from the "potentially catastrophic" effects of Hurricane Matthew as the deadly storm barrels in from the Caribbean.

A damaged grocery store is seen in Nassau, New Providence island in the Bahamas, on October 6, 2016, after the passing of Hurricane Matthew. Shelters along the eastern coast of Florida were jammed amid a

(L to Right) Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student TJ Rusiniak watches weather updates on his iPad at a public shelter set up at Mainland High School, October 6, 2016 in Jacksonville, Florida. With Hurricane Matthew approaching the Atlantic coast of the United States, the governors of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina have all declared states of emergencies.

(L to Right) Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University student TJ Rusiniak watches weather updates on his iPad at a public shelter set up at Mainland High School, October 6, 2016 in Jacksonville, Florida. With

A young man walks on a palm tree in front of a destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew, in Croix Marche-a-Terre, in Southwest Haiti, on October 6, 2016. Hurricane Matthew has claimed at least 108 lives in Haiti, Interior Minister Francois Anick Joseph told AFP Thursday.

A young man walks on a palm tree in front of a destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew, in Croix Marche-a-Terre, in Southwest Haiti, on October 6, 2016. Hurricane Matthew has claimed at least 108 lives in

People leave Disney's Magic Kingdom theme park, in heavy rain, after it closed in Orlando, Florida in preparation for the landfall of Hurricane Matthew, on October 6, 2016. Some three million people on the US southeast coast faced an urgent evacuation order Thursday as monstrous Hurricane Matthew -- now blamed for more than 100 deaths in Haiti alone -- bore down for a direct hit on Florida.

People leave Disney's Magic Kingdom theme park, in heavy rain, after it closed in Orlando, Florida in preparation for the landfall of Hurricane Matthew, on October 6, 2016. Some three million people on the US

Home owner Hemant Panchal of Sanford, Fla., wrestles plywood into his vehicle at a Lowe's store in Casselberry, Fla., north of Orlando, as central Floridians make last-minute preparations for the strike of Hurricane Matthew, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016.

Home owner Hemant Panchal of Sanford, Fla., wrestles plywood into his vehicle at a Lowe's store in Casselberry, Fla., north of Orlando, as central Floridians make last-minute preparations for the strike of

Firefighters help a woman recover her clothes from her house destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Baracoa, Cuba, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. Matthew blew across that island's sparsely populated eastern tip, destroying dozens of homes and damaging hundreds in the island's easternmost city, Baracoa. But the government oversaw the evacuation of nearly 380,000 people and strong measures were taken to protect communities and infrastructure, U.N. officials said.

Firefighters help a woman recover her clothes from her house destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Baracoa, Cuba, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. Matthew blew across that island's sparsely populated eastern tip, destroying

Hotel rooms are exposed after a wall broke away at the RIU hotel during the passage of Hurricane Matthew at Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. The head of the Bahamas National Emergency Management Authority, Capt. Stephen Russell, said there were many downed trees and power lines, but no reports of casualties.

Hotel rooms are exposed after a wall broke away at the RIU hotel during the passage of Hurricane Matthew at Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. The head of the Bahamas National Emergency

In this Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016 photo, an elderly man, who was in the hospital before Hurricane Matthew hit, is carried back to his home in a hammock, in Baracoa, Cuba. The man was carried back to his home because the roads are impassible from the damage caused by Matthew, blocking all motor vehicle traffic to the area. Matthew blew across the island's sparsely populated eastern tip, destroying dozens of homes and damaging hundreds in the island's easternmost city

In this Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016 photo, an elderly man, who was in the hospital before Hurricane Matthew hit, is carried back to his home in a hammock, in Baracoa, Cuba. The man was carried back to his home

Traffic stacks up on I-75 North fleeing the coast and Hurricane Matthew on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016, near McDonough. FEMA officials said Thursday that crews were deployed to emergency operation centers in Albany, Georgia, and Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The agency says more than 444,000 liters of water and 513,000 meals along with thousands of cots and blankets will be on site. Jim Butterworth, director at the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, says he expects the storm to arrive in coastal Georgia late Friday and continue through Saturday night.

Traffic stacks up on I-75 North fleeing the coast and Hurricane Matthew on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016, near McDonough. FEMA officials said Thursday that crews were deployed to emergency operation centers in

South Florida resident James Balboni puts gas in a generator in preparation for Hurricane Matthew on October 5, 2016 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The hurricane has pounded Jamaica and Haiti on its way north toward the U.S. coastline.

South Florida resident James Balboni puts gas in a generator in preparation for Hurricane Matthew on October 5, 2016 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The hurricane has pounded Jamaica and Haiti on its way north

A portable generator is loaded onto a car as South Florida residents prepare for Hurricane Matthew on October 5, 2016 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The hurricane has pounded Jamaica and Haiti on its way north toward the U.S. coastline.

A portable generator is loaded onto a car as South Florida residents prepare for Hurricane Matthew on October 5, 2016 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The hurricane has pounded Jamaica and Haiti on its way north

A man is carried across the river La Digue in Petit Goave where the bridge collapsed during the rains of the Hurricane Matthew, southwest of Port-au-Prince, October 5, 2016. Haiti and the eastern tip of Cuba -- blasted by Matthew on October 4, 2016 -- began the messy and probably grim task of assessing the storm's toll. Matthew hit them as a Category Four hurricane but has since been downgraded to three, on a scale of five, by the US National Hurricane Center.

A man is carried across the river La Digue in Petit Goave where the bridge collapsed during the rains of the Hurricane Matthew, southwest of Port-au-Prince, October 5, 2016. Haiti and the eastern tip of Cuba --

People try to cross the overflowing La Rouyonne river in the commune of Leogane, south of Port-au-Prince, October 5, 2016. Haiti and the eastern tip of Cuba -- blasted by Matthew on October 4, 2016 -- began the messy and probably grim task of assessing the storm's toll. Matthew hit them as a Category Four hurricane but has since been downgraded to three, on a scale of five, by the US National Hurricane Center.

People try to cross the overflowing La Rouyonne river in the commune of Leogane, south of Port-au-Prince, October 5, 2016. Haiti and the eastern tip of Cuba -- blasted by Matthew on October 4, 2016 -- began

A picture taken in the flooded neighbourhood of La Puya, in Santo Domingo on October 4, 2016 after the passage of Hurricane Matthew through Hispaniola -- the island that the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti. Matthew, a Category Four hurricane, slammed into the Dominican Republic and Haiti Tuesday, triggering major floods and forcing thousands to flee the path of the storm that has claimed at least three lives in each country. less

A picture taken in the flooded neighbourhood of La Puya, in Santo Domingo on October 4, 2016 after the passage of Hurricane Matthew through Hispaniola -- the island that the Dominican Republic shares with ... more

Photo: ERIKA SANTELICES, AFP/Getty Images

Image 53 of 74

A picture taken in the flooded neighbourhood of La Puya, in Santo Domingo on October 4, 2016 after the passage of Hurricane Matthew through Hispaniola -- the island that the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti. Matthew, a Category Four hurricane, slammed into the Dominican Republic and Haiti Tuesday, triggering major floods and forcing thousands to flee the path of the storm that has claimed at least three lives in each country. less

A picture taken in the flooded neighbourhood of La Puya, in Santo Domingo on October 4, 2016 after the passage of Hurricane Matthew through Hispaniola -- the island that the Dominican Republic shares with ... more

Photo: ERIKA SANTELICES, AFP/Getty Images

Image 54 of 74

A picture taken inside the house where two sisters died in the neighbourhood of Capotillo, in Santo Domingo on October 4, 2016 during the passage of Hurricane Matthew through Hispaniola -- the island that the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti. Matthew, a Category Four hurricane, slammed into the Dominican Republic and Haiti Tuesday, triggering major floods and forcing thousands to flee the path of the storm that has claimed at least three lives in each country. less

A picture taken inside the house where two sisters died in the neighbourhood of Capotillo, in Santo Domingo on October 4, 2016 during the passage of Hurricane Matthew through Hispaniola -- the island that the ... more

Photo: ERIKA SANTELICES, AFP/Getty Images

Image 55 of 74

Image 56 of 74

People look at the collapsed roof of a house where a child died in the neighbourhood of La Puya, in Santo Domingo on October 4, 2016 during the passage of Hurricane Matthew through Hispaniola -- the island that the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti. Matthew, a Category Four hurricane, slammed into the Dominican Republic and Haiti Tuesday, triggering major floods and forcing thousands to flee the path of the storm that has claimed at least three lives in each country. less

People look at the collapsed roof of a house where a child died in the neighbourhood of La Puya, in Santo Domingo on October 4, 2016 during the passage of Hurricane Matthew through Hispaniola -- the island that ... more

Photo: ERIKA SANTELICES, AFP/Getty Images

Image 57 of 74

A boy wades through the water the flooded neighbourhood of La Puya, in Santo Domingo on October 4, 2016 after the passage of Hurricane Matthew through Hispaniola -- the island that the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti. Matthew, a Category Four hurricane, slammed into the Dominican Republic and Haiti Tuesday, triggering major floods and forcing thousands to flee the path of the storm that has claimed at least three lives in each country. less

A boy wades through the water the flooded neighbourhood of La Puya, in Santo Domingo on October 4, 2016 after the passage of Hurricane Matthew through Hispaniola -- the island that the Dominican Republic shares ... more

Photo: ERIKA SANTELICES, AFP/Getty Images

Image 58 of 74

The mother of two deceased children is comforted outside her house in the neighbourhood of Capotillo, in Santo Domingo on October 4, 2016 after the passage of Hurricane Matthew through Hispaniola -- the island that the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti. Matthew, a Category Four hurricane, slammed into the Dominican Republic and Haiti Tuesday, triggering major floods and forcing thousands to flee the path of the storm that has claimed at least three lives in each country. less

The mother of two deceased children is comforted outside her house in the neighbourhood of Capotillo, in Santo Domingo on October 4, 2016 after the passage of Hurricane Matthew through Hispaniola -- the island ... more

Photo: ERIKA SANTELICES, AFP/Getty Images

Image 59 of 74

Picture taken in the flooded neighbourhood of La Puya, in Santo Domingo on October 4, 2016 after the passage of Hurricane Matthew through Hispaniola -- the island that the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti. Matthew, a Category Four hurricane, slammed into the Dominican Republic and Haiti Tuesday, triggering major floods and forcing thousands to flee the path of the storm that has claimed at least three lives in each country. less

Picture taken in the flooded neighbourhood of La Puya, in Santo Domingo on October 4, 2016 after the passage of Hurricane Matthew through Hispaniola -- the island that the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti. ... more

Photo: ERIKA SANTELICES, AFP/Getty Images

Image 60 of 74

Image 61 of 74

People stand on the coast watching the surf produced by Hurricane Matthew, on the outskirts of Kingston, Jamaica, Monday, Oct. 3, 2016.

People stand on the coast watching the surf produced by Hurricane Matthew, on the outskirts of Kingston, Jamaica, Monday, Oct. 3, 2016.

Photo: Eduardo Verdugo/AP

Image 62 of 74

A tap tap (public transportation) crosses the water left by the rain after hurricane Matthew, in Port-au-Prince, on October 4, 2016.

A tap tap (public transportation) crosses the water left by the rain after hurricane Matthew, in Port-au-Prince, on October 4, 2016.

Photo: HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images

Image 63 of 74

Military members patrol the coastline of Santo Domingo, near the Port of Haina on October 3, 2016 as strong winds and rain are expected in the next few hours in Dominican Republic.

Military members patrol the coastline of Santo Domingo, near the Port of Haina on October 3, 2016 as strong winds and rain are expected in the next few hours in Dominican Republic.

Photo: ERIKA SANTELICES/AFP/Getty Images

Image 64 of 74

A girl watches as authorities arrive to evacuate people from her house in Tabarre, Haiti, Monday, Oct. 3, 2016.

A girl watches as authorities arrive to evacuate people from her house in Tabarre, Haiti, Monday, Oct. 3, 2016.

People arrive with their belongings at a shelter prior the arrival of the Hurricane Matthew in Santiago, Cuba, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016.

People arrive with their belongings at a shelter prior the arrival of the Hurricane Matthew in Santiago, Cuba, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016.

Photo: Ramon Espinosa/AP

Image 68 of 74

This handout picture received from the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT)shows a composite image of category four hurricane Matthew from 06:00 GMT on October 4, 2016. Hurricane Matthew churned across the Caribbean toward Haiti with devastating force early on October 4, 2016 after claiming its first victims in the impoverished island nation.The most menacing storm in nearly a decade, Matthew buffeted Haiti's southern coast with strong winds, as rising sea levels caused extensive flooding among the area's flimsy homes and buildings that have left residents exposed to natural disaster. less

This handout picture received from the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT)shows a composite image of category four hurricane Matthew from 06:00 GMT on October 4, ... more

Photo: HO, AFP/Getty Images

Image 69 of 74

Trees sway from heavy rain and wind from Hurricane Matthew in front of Exploration Tower early Friday, Oct. 7, 2016 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Matthew weakened slightly to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds near 120 mph, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center says it's expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it moves closer to the coast. (Craig Rubadoux/Florida Today via AP) less

Trees sway from heavy rain and wind from Hurricane Matthew in front of Exploration Tower early Friday, Oct. 7, 2016 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Matthew weakened slightly to a Category 3 storm with maximum ... more

Photo: Craig Rubadoux, AP

Image 70 of 74

Image 71 of 74

Trees sway from heavy rain and wind from Hurricane Matthew in front of Exploration Tower early Friday, Oct. 7, 2016 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Matthew weakened slightly to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds near 120 mph, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center says it's expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it moves closer to the coast. (Craig Rubadoux/Florida Today via AP) less

Trees sway from heavy rain and wind from Hurricane Matthew in front of Exploration Tower early Friday, Oct. 7, 2016 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Matthew weakened slightly to a Category 3 storm with maximum ... more

Photo: Craig Rubadoux, AP

Image 72 of 74

An American flag is ripped to shreds from heavy rain and wind from Hurricane Matthew early Friday, Oct. 7, 2016 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Matthew weakened slightly to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds near 120 mph, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center says it's expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it moves closer to the coast. (Craig Rubadoux/Florida Today via AP) less

An American flag is ripped to shreds from heavy rain and wind from Hurricane Matthew early Friday, Oct. 7, 2016 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Matthew weakened slightly to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained ... more

Photo: Craig Rubadoux, AP

Image 73 of 74

Margaret Bodchon, of Merritt Island, Fla., uses her smartphone under a battery operated lantern at a hotel Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, in Titusville, Fla. Hurricane Matthew is pass offshore of Florida's east coast.

Margaret Bodchon, of Merritt Island, Fla., uses her smartphone under a battery operated lantern at a hotel Friday, Oct. 7, 2016, in Titusville, Fla. Hurricane Matthew is pass offshore of Florida's east coast.

Photo: Chris O'Meara, AP

Image 74 of 74

Hurricane Matthew spares South Florida, pushes north

1 / 74

Back to Gallery

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Matthew scraped Florida's Atlantic coast early Friday, toppling trees onto homes and knocking out power to a half-million people but sparing some of the most heavily populated stretches of shoreline the catastrophic blow many had feared.

Authorities warned that the danger was far from over, with hundreds of miles of coastline in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina still under threat of torrential rain and dangerous storm surge as the hurricane pushed north.

"Remember, it could be the worst of it is yet to come," Gov. Rick Scott said in the morning.

Matthew was downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane overnight, and its storm center hung just offshore as it moved up the Florida coastline, sparing communities its full 120 mph winds. Still, it got close enough to knock down trees and power lines, and a 107 mph gust was recorded at Cape Canaveral.

As the storm closed in, an estimated 2 million people in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina were warned to move inland to escape the fury of the most powerful hurricane to menace the U.S. Atlantic coast in more than a decade.

Matthew left more than 280 people dead in its wake across the Caribbean.

As it moved on to Florida, it largely skirted the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Palm Beach areas of over 7 million people and hugged closer to the coast farther north, menacing such communities as Vero Beach, Daytona Beach, Cape Canaveral and Jacksonville.

Some people who refused to evacuate were stranded and called for help early Friday but were told to stay put until conditions improved enough for paramedics and firefighters to get to them, said emergency operations spokesman David Waters in Brevard County, the home of Cape Canaveral.

"A family called in that the roof just flew off their home on Merritt Island," Waters said.

It was a scene officials hoped to avoid in other cities as the storm pushed north.

In Jacksonville, where 500,000 people were told to evacuate, Mayor Lenny Curry warned that authorities would not be able to help them during the worst of the storm.

"You need to leave. If you do not leave you will be on your own," Curry said.

Despite warnings, many people along the Florida coast decided to take their chances.

In Cape Canaveral, John Long rode out the storm in his 32-foot camper in a park a half-mile from the beach.

He lost power shortly before dawn but quickly fired up his generator. Small tree branches battered the vehicle but the large ones on the park's giant oak trees didn't fall.

"It was kind of loud and kind of shaky but nothing that caused too much concern," he said.

Robert Tyler had feared a storm surge would flood his street, which is only two blocks from the Cape Canaveral beach. But he and his wife, Georgette, felt fortunate Friday morning when they looked out the front door of their one-story cinderblock apartment and there wasn't much water.

Tree branches littered the road, and he could hear transformers exploding overnight, but his home didn't appear to have damage on first inspection, and his vehicles were unharmed.

"Overnight, it was scary as heck. That description of a freight train is pretty accurate. At one point it felt like the windows were going to blow even though they all were covered with plywood," he said.

Florida's governor called it a "blessing" that so far Florida was avoiding a direct hit as the storm sliced northward.

Still, forecasters said it could dump up to 15 inches of rain in some spots and cause a storm surge of 9 feet or more. They said the major threat to the Southeast would not be the winds — which newer buildings can withstand — but the massive surge of seawater that could wash over coastal communities.

The Fort Lauderdale and Orlando airports shut down. Airlines canceled more than 3,000 flights Thursday and Friday, many of them in or out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Amtrak suspended train service between Miami and New York, and cruise lines rerouted ships to avoid the storm, which in some cases will mean more days at sea.